A cable is made from one or more wires which can be conductive. The conductor can conduct data, heat, light, or electricity and can be metal conductive material or fiber optics (conductor of light). The cable can have an insulated wall which can be a coating surrounding the conductor. This insulated wall isolates the electricity, optics, or heat passing through the conductor from the surrounding environment.
Cable is generally used in telecommunications or electrical power. If water enters the cable, water can corrode the metal part of the cable thereby damaging or impairing the telecommunications or power delivery. Water can also freeze within the cable thereby inducing microbending in the optical fibers of the cable, which consequently can result in fiber degradation or increased signal loss. A water-blocking or water-absorbing product can be used to prevent or reduce the potential water damage or transmission impairment. For example, water-blocking material is disposed in any otherwise empty space within a fluid impervious tube surrounding a plurality of optical fibers and between the outer layer and the tube. Also for example, water-blocking material is disposed between the transmission media and the outer jacket of the cable. As a further example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,278,826 discloses incorporating in cables a water-blocking foam with flame-retarding characteristics. As a further example, WO 98/25974 discloses using hydrophilic zeolites to remove residual acids or small esters from polymeric compositions.
It is highly desirable to provide an alternative water-blocking and/or absorbing “medium” in the form of, for example, a film that can be laminated to another portion of the cable structure.